These gluten-free monkey bread muffins are ooey and gooey and taste just like the classic! Made from scratch with an easy homemade biscuit-style dough, cinnamon coconut sugar coating, and a coconut butter glaze. This recipe makes breakfast easy - grab a cup of coffee and a muffin and you're good to go!
Disclaimer - this is not your grandma's monkey bread. However, these gluten-free moneky bread muffins put a fun, classy, and healthy twist on the traditional sticky treat. Each muffin is gooey and fluffy but, most importantly, you can have your own 😉
These gluten-free monkey bread muffins are completely made from scratch with homemade gluten-free dough and a luscious coconut butter glaze. You'll get a healthy dose of cinnamon coconut sugar amazing-ness with every bite.
What is Monkey Bread?
The classic monkey bread contains pieces of biscuit dough, melted butter, and lots of cinnamon sugar. It's usually made in a bundt cake pan and enjoyed by pulling off pieces of dough with your hands.
This gluten-free monkey bread recipe looks and tastes just like the original but better (IMO). They key to a good monkey bread is hints of cinnamon and a major fluff factor which is just what we have here. On top of that, you can enjoy a hand-held muffin all to yourself! It's a win-win situation if you ask me.
Ingredients
You just need a few simple gluten-free pantry staples to make these vegan and gluten-free monkey bread muffins:
- Coconut milk + Apple cider vinegar - also known as "vegan buttermilk". We use this mixture to help our dough rise (aka achieve some serious fluff factor)
- Cassava flour + Tapioca flour - the combination of cassava and tapioca four ensures a doughy, gluten-free consistency
- Coconut sugar - unlike typical biscuit dough, a little coconut sugar adds a touch of sweet sugar crystals that are amazing when baked
- Maple syrup - this is drizzled over top of the balls of dough before baking to provide a sweet gooey texture to the muffins
- Coconut butter - instead of traditional icing, melted coconut butter is a great healthier alternative!
Step by step directions
These vegan gooey monkey bread muffins have 4 major steps:
Step 1 : Prepare the dough. To make the gluten-free dough, first prepare the "vegan buttermilk" by mixing together the coconut milk and apple vinegar in a small bowl. Set it aside while you prepare the rest of the dough.
In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients, add the melted coconut oil, and vanilla and mix until small clumps of dough form.
Stir in the "vegan buttermilk" and mix until a sticky dough forms. The dough will become less sticky after a couple minutes. Let it sit on the counter while you make the cinnamon coconut sugar coating
Step 2 : Roll dough in cinnamon and coconut sugar. With a small cookie scoop, scoop balls of dough and roll each in a shallow bowl with the cinnamon and coconut sugar to coat. Next, place these balls of dough in a muffin tin lined with liners. Each liner should hold 3 - 4 pieces of dough.
Step 3 : Drizzle the maple syrup over top. This is what gives the muffins a little bit of a delicious tacky consistency. Drizzle a little pure maple syrup into each muffin liner. Then bake in the oven until golden!
Step 4 : Top with melted coconut butter. Melt the coconut butter in a pot or skillet on the stove over a double boiler. I don't recommend microwaving coconut butter as the heat will make it firm up. You can make your own double boiler but placing a small skillet or pot on top of a pot of simmering water. The indirect heat from the simmering water will easily melt the coconut butter.
If needed, add a teaspoon or two to the coconut butter to help thin it out. Once the coconut butter is smooth and silky, drizzle it over each of the muffins and enjoy!
How to store
These gluten-free monkey bread muffins are best stored in an airtight container. They will keep for up to 5 days on the counter or a 10 days in the fridge. When ready to enjoy, warm up a muffin in the microwave in 8 second intervals until soft.
For more breakfast treats, check out my:
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Recipe
Bomb Gluten-free Monkey Bread Muffins
Ingredients
For the Muffins
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups cassava flour
- ⅓ cup tapioca flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoon coconut sugar
- ⅓ cup coconut oil - melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the cinnamon coating and drizzle
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
For the Glaze
- ⅓ cup melted coconut butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut milk and apple cider vinegar and set aside.1 cup full-fat coconut milk, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the cassava flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, and coconut sugar. Add the coconut oil and mix until small clumps begin to form. Slowly pour in the coconut milk mixture and vanilla and mix until sticky dough forms (the dough will become less sticky as it sits out).2 cups cassava flour, ⅓ cup tapioca flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 3 tablespoon coconut sugar, ⅓ cup coconut oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- In a separate bowl, add the coconut sugar and cinnamon for the coating. With a small cookie scoop, scoop small balls of dough and roll in the cinnamon mixture to coat. Place the small balls of dough in a muffin tin with liners. About 3 – 4 small balls of dough will fit in each muffin liner.½ cup coconut sugar, 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Whisk together the maple syrup and vanilla in a small bowl and drizzle over top each muffin. Bake in oven for 17 – 20 minutes until the tops turn a golden brown.2 tablespoon maple syrup, ½ teaspoon vanilla
- Make the glaze by melting the coconut butter in a double boiler until smooth. Drizzle over top of each muffin and serve warm.⅓ cup melted coconut butter
Do you have any recommendations for coconut butter substitute?
Do you think I can use honey and vanilla instead of maple syrup and vanilla to drizzle over top?
I don't see why not!
I made these this morning and they were delicious! The dough was a little more dense than the pictures but it was my first time cooking with cassava flour. Will definitely be trying again to get a lighter, fluffier version. Still, so good!!
Hi Faith! That makes me so happy to hear! Yes, cassava flour can be tricky. Make sure not to over mix the dough or it can be a little touch and heavy.